A coalition of physical education-loving health and sports groups have
put together a splashy "Save
Portland PE" campaign complete with a professional poll, a
full-page newspaper ad and a radio advertising blitz.

Made up of groups including the Oregon Medical
Association, the Trail Blazers, Nike and Providence Health Services, the
coalition is trumpeting the results of its weekend poll, conducted by
the respected firm Davis, Hibbitts & Midghall. The poll found 86
percent of Portland residents want the school board to spend money from
reserves rather than cut PE.

Smith recommended cutting 66
full-time positions from elementary and middle schools to save $6
million. She said principals strongly favor cutting a uniform elective
offering from all the schools -- and physical education is the only
program offered in nearly every elementary and K-8 school and the only
elective that involves more than about 25 teaching positions.

The
Physical Education for All Kids, or PEAK, coalition has existed for several years to push for more physical
education in all Oregon schools. It sprang into action as soon as it
heard Smith's kill-PE proposal, with many of its leaders working long
hours through the weekend to spur public input against the plan, said
Drew Mahalic, executive director of the Oregon Sports Authority
Foundation. They've also poured a lot of money into the campaign --
although Mahalic won't say how much.

"It's an indication how
strongly we feel about this," he said. "Physical education is essential
to the development of a young person. Cutting it would have devastating
results for the children."

Smith had said she wants Portland
schools to continue to offer movement and activity to students during
the school day, most likely by having classroom teachers lead their
class in P.E. activities.

But Mahalic said that would be
unlikely-- particularly in schools that serve a lot of low-income
children whose parents can't afford to enroll them in club sports or
send them to sports camps.

"Our experience shows that, while
that may sound good in theory, in practice, the teachers find out they
are not qualified to conduct physical education in the schools and it
doesn't get done," Mahalic said. "It's a question of social justice:
Disadvantaged children are the ones who suffer the most. They're the
ones who don't get any (regular supervised physical activity) at all."